Not sure what to do...PLEASE HELP.

[skbirdie510]

Ok currently I'm in an MPH program and I'm only a month in. The general consensus from family, colleagues, and advisors is that the MPH will not help much in the way of med school admissions (especially considering I need to improve my science GPA along with overal GPA). I have come up with a few options, but I don't know which is the best way to go/which options are even viable. I'm hoping to start med school apps in the summer. Any help would be appreciated.

1) Stick with the MPH, do a post-bacc/SMP afterwards (means I'll have to apply next year or further down the road).
2) Drop the MPH, apply to post-bacc/SMP for admission in the fall.
3) Take online science courses while doing the MPH to boost science GPA.
4) Take science courses over the summer along with MPH classes.

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[NewmansOwn]

Ok currently I'm in an MPH program and I'm only a month in. The general consensus from family, colleagues, and advisors is that the MPH will not help much in the way of med school admissions (especially considering I need to improve my science GPA along with overal GPA). I have come up with a few options, but I don't know which is the best way to go/which options are even viable. I'm hoping to start med school apps in the summer. Any help would be appreciated.

1) Stick with the MPH, do a post-bacc/SMP afterwards (means I'll have to apply next year or further down the road).
2) Drop the MPH, apply to post-bacc/SMP for admission in the fall.
3) Take online science courses while doing the MPH to boost science GPA.
4) Take science courses over the summer along with MPH classes.

Your post begs the question: Why did you do the MPH in the first place? Was your only hope to boost your chances of admission to medical school and if so, why have you only just come to the conclusion that it will not help you? Your advisors ought to have clued you in earlier, no? If, then, you are actually interested in public health, why not finish it? It may not help a whole lot in med school admissions, but an MPH widens your job opportunities once you've got your medical degree. If you truly have no interest in public health, to be honest I'm not sure why you started, but then I guess you'd better drop out, save yourself the money and start doing an SMP -- assuming you've taken all the medical prereqs. If not, no SMP for you -- better start taking classes at your local state school. Good luck.

 

[skbirdie510]

Well I think the only reason I joined this particular program (which starts in the spring) is just because of that. I graduated early and I wanted to start the MPH when my head was still in school mode.

I am interested in public health (I want to do work with MSF or similar organizations down the road) and would have done the MPH even if I was in med school, but I didn't realize that even with the upward trend I had in college, I wouldn't have much of a chance at being accepted to med school. The low grades were mostly due to a period of sickness sophomore year. This is why I'm thinking about doing the SMP now. I have the prereqs done, I just need to boost the science GPA.

 

[Isoprop]

i'm assuming your goal is to do an MD/DO and MPH. i believe it's wiser to do an MPH after you finish med school b/c most programs will waive the first year's requirements if you have a professional health degree. so i pretty much recommend you drop the MPH now.

whether or not you should do an SMP really depends on your situation. with a sub 3.0 average overall or BCMP, you should definitely go the post-bacc route to take upper-div science classes. continue your upward trend. when your gpa gets broken down on the amcas, there will be a freshman, soph, jr, sr, and post-bacc gpa. so not only will you bring up your gpa, you will show a continued trend to adcoms (provided you do well).

if you're hovering around the 3.3 ish region in OA or BCMP, an SMP will probably be the fastest road to getting into medical school. you can apply now for the fall semester and apply to med school this coming cycle.

if your mcat is low (<30), this is obviously the area you need to work on the most.

 

[skbirdie510]

Thanks for your help Isoprop, I just wanted to clarify one point you made. Is a post-bacc GPA counted along with my undergrad GPA, or is it considered separately?

 

[Isoprop]

yes post-bacc grades count towards your undegraduate gpa. but you r undergrad gpa also gets split into 6 categories
1. college classes in high school
2. freshman
3. sophomore
4. junior
5. senior
6. undergraduate classes after your BS/BA degree (post-bacc)

this is how adcoms will see the "trend." so if you do a post-bacc and do well, they will see another gpa. and it all gets calculated into a overall undergraduate gpa.

 

[Tranquility]

Thanks for your help Isoprop, I just wanted to clarify one point you made. Is a post-bacc GPA counted along with my undergrad GPA, or is it considered separately?

I just spoke to my advisor about the exact same thing. I was looking into grad schools for MPH and telling her that my heart belongs to being a PA..but I wanted to get a dual degree like the programs offer nowadays...and, I thought it would be hard to get into PA school without the patient care hours. (but thanks to this site, i just learned that doesnt matter at many universities.yay!)

She strongly advised me not to waste my time or money getting an MPH. I will never work with patients and never do exactly what it is I want. As an undergrad in public health, i am learning what i need to learn. She told me post bach was DEF the way to go..and that if i wanted more public health courses, i could always take them that way rather than spending so much in grad school..

Hope that helps..it helped me...